The Bum's 2016 NCAA Basketball News-Trends-Picks !

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Dunkel

Tuesday, November 29


Charleston Southern @ Alabama

Game 769-770
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Charleston Southe
47.590
Alabama
59.758
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Alabama
by 12
137
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Alabama
by 16
130 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Charleston Southe
(+16); Over

Delaware State @ St John's

Game 767-768
November 29, 2016 @ 6:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Delaware State
35.236
St John's
59.632
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St John's
by 24 1/2
137
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St John's
by 21
143 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St John's
(-21); Under

George Washington @ Harvard

Game 765-766
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
George Washington
53.720
Harvard
59.300
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Harvard
by 5 1/2
132
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Harvard
by 3 1/2
138
Dunkel Pick:
Harvard
(-3 1/2); Under

San Jose St @ Idaho

Game 763-764
November 29, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose St
52.238
Idaho
54.832
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Idaho
by 2 1/2
145
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Idaho
by 7
137
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose St
(+7); Over

Tennessee St @ Vanderbilt

Game 761-762
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tennessee St
60.819
Vanderbilt
63.599
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vanderbilt
by 3
144
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vanderbilt
by 6 1/2
136 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tennessee St
(+6 1/2); Over

Northern Colorado @ Oklahoma

Game 759-760
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Northern Colorado
46.140
Oklahoma
73.709
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma
by 27 1/2
138
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma
by 25
144
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma
(-25); Under

Bradley @ Eastern Illinois

Game 757-758
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Bradley
43.631
Eastern Illinois
52.496
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Eastern Illinois
by 9
133
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Eastern Illinois
by 5
139
Dunkel Pick:
Eastern Illinois
(-5); Under

Florida Atlantic @ UT-Martin

Game 755-756
November 29, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida Atlantic
48.360
UT-Martin
56.788
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
UT-Martin
by 8 1/2
142
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
UT-Martin
by 4 1/2
148
Dunkel Pick:
UT-Martin
(-4 1/2); Under

Murray State @ Southern Illinois

Game 753-754
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Murray State
53.196
Southern Illinois
58.212
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Southern Illinois
by 5
141
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Southern Illinois
by 1 1/2
147 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Southern Illinois
(-1 1/2); Under

Samford @ St Louis

Game 751-752
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Samford
49.896
St Louis
54.904
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St Louis
by 5
132
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St Louis
by 2 1/2
138
Dunkel Pick:
St Louis
(-2 1/2); Under

Davidson @ Mercer

Game 749-750
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Davidson
62.674
Mercer
54.286
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Davidson
by 8 1/2
128
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Davidson
by 3 1/2
134
Dunkel Pick:
Davidson
(-3 1/2); Under

North Dakota St @ Xavier

Game 747-748
November 29, 2016 @ 6:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
North Dakota St
53.821
Xavier
76.734
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Xavier
by 23
130
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Xavier
by 16 1/2
135
Dunkel Pick:
Xavier
(-16 1/2); Under

Pacific @ Nevada

Game 745-746
November 29, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pacific
52.822
Nevada
66.489
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nevada
by 13 1/2
136
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nevada
by 9 1/2
142
Dunkel Pick:
Nevada
(-9 1/2); Under

Michigan State @ Duke

Game 743-744
November 29, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Michigan State
71.381
Duke
77.751
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Duke
by 6 1/2
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Duke
by 10 1/2
147 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Michigan State
(+10 1/2); Over

Iowa @ Notre Dame

Game 741-742
November 29, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Iowa
67.459
Notre Dame
69.083
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Notre Dame
by 1 1/2
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Notre Dame
by 10
158 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Iowa
(+10); Over

NC State @ Illinois

Game 739-740
November 29, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NC State
63.541
Illinois
59.740
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NC State
by 4
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NC State
by 2
150 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
NC State
(-2); Over

Buffalo @ Creighton

Game 737-738
November 29, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Buffalo
54.541
Creighton
76.097
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Creighton
by 21 1/2
167
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Creighton
by 19
157
Dunkel Pick:
Creighton
(-19); Over

Long Beach St @ Kansas

Game 735-736
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Long Beach St
51.354
Kansas
81.450
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kansas
by 30
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kansas
by 25
149
Dunkel Pick:
Kansas
(-25); Over

Houston @ LSU

Game 733-734
November 29, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
69.066
LSU
61.667
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 7 1/2
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 3
147
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-3); Over

TX-Arlington @ Texas

Game 731-732
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
TX-Arlington
54.132
Texas
66.694
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas
by 12 1/2
148
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas
by 6 1/2
141 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Texas
(-6 1/2); Over

Rhode Island @ Valparaiso

Game 729-730
November 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Rhode Island
68.734
Valparaiso
63.272
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Rhode Island
by 5 1/2
147
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Rhode Island
by 1 1/2
138
Dunkel Pick:
Rhode Island
(-1 1/2); Over

Syracuse @ Wisconsin

Game 727-728
November 29, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Syracuse
72.405
Wisconsin
72.430
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Syracuse
Even
139
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Wisconsin
by 5 1/2
121 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Syracuse
(+5 1/2); Over

Princeton @ VA-Commonwealth

Game 725-726
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Princeton
64.547
VA-Commonwealth
64.724
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Princeton
Even
142
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
VA-Commonwealth
by 5 1/2
136 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Princeton
(+5 1/2); Over

Georgia Tech @ Penn State

Game 723-724
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Georgia Tech
59.505
Penn State
69.350
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Penn State
by 10
138
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Penn State
by 7 1/2
141
Dunkel Pick:
Penn State
(-7 1/2); Under

Chattanooga @ Coastal Carolina

Game 721-722
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chattanooga
59.545
Coastal Carolina
51.513
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chattanooga
by 8
133
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chattanooga
by 2 1/2
139
Dunkel Pick:
Chattanooga
(-2 1/2); Under

Villanova @ Pennsylvania

Game 719-720
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Villanova
78.055
Pennsylvania
56.249
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Villanova
by 22
133
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Villanova
by 15 1/2
137 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Villanova
(-15 1/2); Under

Hofstra @ Columbia

Game 717-718
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Hofstra
50.499
Columbia
58.109
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbia
by 7 1/2
138
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Columbia
by 2 1/2
147 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbia
(-2 1/2); Under

William & Mary @ Central Michigan

Game 715-716
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
William & Mary
56.518
Central Michigan
58.709
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Central Michigan
by 2
168
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Central Michigan
by 1
164
Dunkel Pick:
Central Michigan
(-1); Over

Pittsburgh @ Maryland

Game 713-714
November 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
64.759
Maryland
70.853
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Maryland
by 6
148
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Maryland
by 4
143 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Maryland
(-4); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday's Tip Sheet
November 29, 2016

**Syracuse at Wisconsin**

-- As of early this morning, most betting shops had Wisconsin (5-2 straight up, 1-3 against the spread) installed as a 5.5-point home favorite vs. the ‘Cuse. The total was 124.5, but there wasn’t a money line yet.

-- Greg Gard’s team has beaten up on three cupcakes at home in non-lined affairs. Wisconsin lost 79-67 at Creighton on Nov. 15 as a 1.5-point road favorite. Senior guard Bronson Koenig had a team-high 21 points in defeat, while senior power forward Nigel Hayes finished with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds.

-- Wisconsin advanced to the Maui Classic finals thanks to wins over Tennessee (74-62) and Georgetown (73-57). However, the Badgers lost 71-56 to North Carolina as 4.5-point ‘dogs in the championship game. Koenig suffered through a nightmare performance, scoring just two points on 1-of-13 shooting from the field. He missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Hayes was held to single digits as well, finishing with eight points and five rebounds. He was 3-of-11 from the field and 1-of-7 from downtown. Vitto Brown scored 15 points for UW, while Ethan Happ had 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots.

-- Koenig is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game, but he has a mediocre 12/12 assists-to-turnovers ratio. He’s hit only 24.6 percent of his 3’s. Happ (11.9 PPG, 9.4 RPG) is nearly averaging a double-double and is making 65.5 percent of his shots from the field. Hayes is averaging 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Those numbers aren’t good for Hayes and Koenig, who are two of the nation’s premier players. Look for those stats to improve soon.

-- Syracuse (4-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) lost for the first time this year Saturday at Barclays Arena in Brooklyn. The Orange went down to South Carolina 64-50 as an 8.5-point favorite. Sindarius Thornwell led the Gamecocks with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. P.J. Dozier added 15 points, 10 boards and three steals. In the losing effort, Tyler Lydon had 18 points and seven rebounds, but he also committed six turnovers without dishing out an assist. Frank Howard and Andrew White III were also in double figures with 10 points.

-- Jim Boeheim’s team won its first four games at home over Colgate (83-55), Holy Cross (90-46), Monmouth (71-50) and South Carolina St. (101-59). The win over the Hawks as 12.5-point ‘chalk’ was the lone lined matchup. The ‘Cuse limited Monmouth star guard Justin Robinson to 11 points and 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point land. White, a grad transfer from Nebraska who also played at Kansas earlier in his collegiate career, had a team-best 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

-- White is averaging 15.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Lydon is scoring at a 11.4 PPG clip and is pulling down 7.2 RPG. Lydon, a sophomore forward, is 9-of-18 (50.0%) from behind the line and has a team-high seven rejections through five games.

-- The ‘under’ is 2-0 for the ‘Cuse. Meanwhile, Wisconsin has seen the ‘under’ go 3-1 overall.

**Michigan State at Duke**

-- As of early this morning, most books had Duke (6-1 SU, 3-3 ATS) listed as a 10.5-point favorite with a total of 144.5. There were no money-line prices listed yet.

-- Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski have squared off nine times during their respective Hall of Fame careers. Coach K has an 8-1 record versus Izzo.

-- Duke star junior guard Grayson Allen is listed as ‘questionable’ due to a toe injury. Allen is averaging 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Blue Devils are also missing three true freshmen, including a pair of five-star recruits in Harry Giles (knee) and Jayson Tatum (foot). The entire trio has missed every game to date.

-- Duke is unbeaten in four home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, going 2-1 ATS in the three lined contests. The Blue Devils are off of Saturday’s 93-58 win over Appalachian St. as a 30.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The 151 combined points slithered ‘under’ the 153.5-point total. Allen played only 18 minutes but still produced 21 points, four rebounds and two assists without turnover. He buried 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc. Luke Kennard, a sophomore guard, finished with 18 points and nine rebounds thanks to 9-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line. Amile Jefferson contributed 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, one blocked shot and only one turnover.

-- Duke took its only loss to Kansas on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. KU captured a 77-75 win as a 2.5-point underdog, while the 152 combined points went ‘under’ the 168-point tally. Frank Mason III hit a pull-up jumper in the lane with 1.8 seconds remaining to provide the winning points. Duke had rallied to pull even after trailing 65-55 with 5:48 remaining. Kennard paced the Blue Devils with a team-best 22 points. Allen had an off night with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one turnover. He shot just 4-of-15 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range.

-- Duke won the Hall of Fame Tip-Off by defeating Rhode Island one day after beating Penn St. The Blue Devils won a 75-65 decision as 7.5-point favorites, while the 140 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 153-point total. Kennard drained 8-of-11 shots from the field and 4-of-5 from behind the line en route to scoring a game-high 24 points. Jefferson had 17 points and 15 rebounds.

-- Michigan St. (4-3 SU, 2-4 ATS) has played a brutal schedule to date, losing three neutral-court games to Arizona (65-63), Kentucky (69-48) and Baylor (73-58). The Spartans could’ve taken another defeat, but they were able to win a controversial game over Florida Gulf Coast, 78-77.

-- Izzo’s squad is off its best win of the year, defeating Wichita St. 77-72 as a 5.5-point underdog in Friday’s third-place game at The Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Freshman forward Miles Bridges scored 21 points and hit 4-of-8 of his 3-point launches. Matt McQuaid, Eron Harris and Nick Ward added 13 points apiece.

-- Bridges is a five-star recruit who has been ‘as advertised.’ He is averaging 17.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He is shooting at a 50.0-percent clip from the field and a 40-percent rate from downtown. Harris (12.7 PPG) is connecting on 43.2 percent of his 3’s.

-- The ‘under’ is a perfect 6-0 overall for the Blue Devils, 3-0 in their home outings.

-- The ‘under’ is 4-2 overall for the Spartans, who are playing their first true road game here.

-- Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Butler picked up an excellent non-conference road win last night by going into Salt Lake City and beating Utah by a 68-59 count as a one-point road favorite. The 7-0 Bulldogs forced the Utes into 18 turnovers and held them to abysmal 3-of-20 shooting (15.0%) from 3-point land. Kelan Martin had a team-high 18 points, while Tyler Wildeman pitched in 15 points.

-- Boise State led nearly the entire game at Oregon last night, only to come up on the wrong end of a 68-63 decision. Leon Rice’s bunch easily took the cash as an 18-point road underdog, but BSU money-line backers lost out on an outstanding chance to cash a sick 14/1 ticket. Paris Austin had a team-best 16 points, while senior power forward Nick Duncan finished with 15 on 5-of-13 shooting from downtown. Dylan Ennis’s 18 points and six rebounds paced the Ducks.

-- Kentucky stroked Arizona State 115-69 last night in the Bahamas. If you didn’t see the highlight yet, UK freshman Malik Monk made one of the sickest passes you’ll ever see. He finished with a team-high 23 points, while Isaiah Briscoe produced 20 points, four rebounds, three steals and seven assists compared to only one turnover. De’Aaron Fox had a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

[StarDust Bum]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL BEST BETS:

DAILY PLAYS RECORD:

11/11/2016 11-9-1 55.00% +550
11/12/2016 4-8-0 33.33% -2400
11/13/2016 19-11-0 63.33% +3450
11/14/2016 17-19-0 47.22% -1950
11/15/2016 10-13-1 43.48% -2150
11/17/2016 15-11-1 57.69% +1450
11/18/2016 20-24-2 45.45% -3200
11/19/2016 18-17-1 51.43% -350
11/20/2016 14-15-1 48.28% -1250
11/21/2016 18-22-0 45.00% -3100
11/22/2016 14-8-1 63.64% +2600
11/23/2016 24-20-0 54.55% +1000
11/24/2016 7-15-0 31.82% -4750
11/25/2016 28-31-0 47.46% -3050
11/26/2016 21-26-0 44.68% -3800
11/27/2016 16-13-0 55.17% +850
11/28/2016 6-2-1 75.00% +1900

WLT Pct Units

ATS Picks 239-242-8 49.69% -13600

O/U Picks 34-31-1 52.31% -50

DAILY BEST BETS:

11/28/16: 4 - 1 - 0

ATS Picks 108 -99 - 0 52.17 % - 450

O/U Picks 12 - 12 - 3 50.00% - 600

TOTAL OF THE DAY ............... 1 - 0 ( MICHIGAN-MARQUETTE UN 147.5 79-61)
TOTAL OF THE DAY.................1 - 0 (MICHIGAN-S.CAROLOIN UN 137.5 46 - 61 )
PLAY OF THE DAY ..................1 - 0 ( TEX TECH - 7.5 OVER UTAH ST. 75 - 51 )
DOG OF THE DAY...................0 - 1 ( ILLINOIS + 9.5 OVER W. VIRGINIA 57 - 89 )
BLOW OUT OF THE DAY...........1 - 0 ( UCLA - 15.0 OVER PORTLAND 99 -77 )
PAC 12 BLOW OUT.................1 - 0 ( UCLA - 9.5 OVER NEBRASKA 82 - 71 )
BIG EAST FAVORITE...............1 - 0 ( PITTSBURG - 12' OVER MOREHEAD 76 -63 )
TOTAL OF THE DAY..................0 - 1 ( TCU / UNLV OVER 142'.....63 - 59 )
TOTAL OF THE DAY..................0 - 1 ( IOWA ST/ZAGS OVER 152 .71-73 )
BLOW OUT OF THE DAY...........1 - 0 ( V.TECH -6.0/NEB. 66 -53 )
FAV OF THE DAY.................... 1 - 0 ( MISSOURI ST -5 /N.DAKOTA ST. 64 - 50 )
DOG OF THE DAY....................0 - 1 (N. FLA _ 5.5 / WRIGHT ST. 67 - 75 )

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PRIN at VCU 07:00 PM

VCU -5.5 *****

HOF at CLMB 07:00 PM

CLMB +1.0

CWM at CMU 07:00 PM

CWM +1.0

VILL at PENN

VILL -14.5 *****

GW at HARV

HARV -3.0

CHSO at ALA

ALA -16.0

CHAT at CCAR

O 137.5 *****

PITT at MD

MD -4.5

DAV at MER

DAV -4.5 *****

GT at PSU

GT +6.5

SYR at WIS 07:30 PM

SYR +6.5 *****

U 124.0 *****

[StarDust Bum]

LBSU at KU 08:00 PM

KU -26.0

UTA at TEX 08:00 PM

UTA +7.5 *****

UNCO at OKLA 08:00 PM

OKLA -23.0 *****

URI at VALP 08:00 PM

URI -2.5 *****

SAM at SLU 08:00 PM

SAM +3.0 *****

MURR at SIU 08:00 PM

SIU -2.0

BRAD at EIU 08:00 PM

EIU -5.0

TNST at VAN 08:00 PM

VAN -7.0 *****

BUFF at CRE 08:30 PM

CRE -19.0 *****

FAU at UTM 08:30 PM

FAU +4.0

IOWA at ND 09:00 PM

IOWA +11.0 *****

NCST at ILL 09:00 PM

NCST +1.0 *****

HOU at LSU 09:00 PM

HOU -4.5

MSU at DUKE 09:30 PM

MSU +12.0 ***** ( DOG OF THE DAY )

U 145.0

PAC at NEV 10:00 PM

NEV -8.5

SJSU at IDHO 10:00 PM

IDHO -7.0 ***** ( FAVORITE OF THE DAY )

[StarDust Bum]

Top 25 Capsules
November 29, 2016

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Kris Jenkins hit six 3s and scored 22 points and Josh Hart had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 2 Villanova past Penn 82-57 on Tuesday night.

The defending national champion Wildcats (7-0) dominated yet again, beating the Quakers for the 14th straight time. The Wildcats also settled in for another round-robin romp: Nova won its record 15th straight Big 5 game. Villanova, Penn, La Salle, Saint Joseph's and Temple have long had its rivalry games intertwined in the fabric of Philadelphia sports. The Wildcats have spent most of the last decade stomping the other four teams.

The Ivy League Quakers (2-3) won the opening tip, the students that packed the Palestra roared, they missed their first shot - and Jenkins buried a 3 on the other end. Donte DiVincenzo hit a 3, so did Mikal Bridges and Hart added one and the Wildcats led 40-22.

Jenkins hit three of Villanova's seven 3-pointers in the first half to put this one away in a hurry.

No. 4 KANSAS 91, LONG BEACH STATE 61

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - Lagerald Vick scored a career-high 23 points on near-perfect shooting, Svi Mykhailiuk had 14 and Kansas rolled to a victory over Long Beach State.

Josh Jackson added 13 points and Devonte Graham had 12 for the Jayhawks (6-1), who doubled up the 49ers (1-8) at 50-25 out of the break and coasted to their 44th straight win at Allen Fieldhouse.

Vick was 9 for 9 from the floor, one shy of the school record held by Norm Cook and Danny Manning, and hit four 3-pointers. His only miss came on the second of two free throws with 5:47 left.

Justin Bibbins had 13 points to lead Long Beach State, which has lost eight in a row - all on the road and mostly to teams that will be in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 5 DUKE 78, MICHIGAN STATE 69

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Grayson Allen scored 24 points, Luke Kennard added 20 and Duke beat Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Amile Jefferson had 17 points and 13 rebounds while freshman Frank Jackson finished with 11 points and keyed a timely 11-0 run for the Blue Devils (7-1).

They won their fourth straight despite shooting just 27 percent from 3-point range.

Eron Harris scored 14 points for Michigan State (4-4). Playing their first game as an unranked team since March 2015, the Spartans had 18 turnovers and star freshman Miles Bridges was held to 11 points - six fewer than his team-leading average - on 4-of-13 shooting.

No. 7 XAVIER 85, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 55

CINCINNATI (AP) - Trevon Bluiett scored 15 of his 23 points during Xavier's dominant first half, and the Musketeers remained unbeaten with a victory over North Dakota State.

The Musketeers (7-0) opened with a decisive run for the second straight game. Sean O'Mara added 12 points and five rebounds, and Malcolm Bernard had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Xavier got up 30-10 during a 64-42 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday, giving up only 12 points in the first half - the fewest it has allowed in any half since the shot clock was introduced for the 1985-86 season. Against North Dakota State (5-3), the Musketeers opened with a 30-11 run and were never challenged.

Redshirt freshman Deng Geu scored a career-high 18 for the Bison, who trailed by as many as 36 points.

No. 10 CREIGHTON 93, BUFFALO 72

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Marcus Foster scored 22 points, Justin Patton had season highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds and Creighton pulled away in the second half for a win over Buffalo.

Khyri Thomas also had his first double-double, with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Maurice Watson Jr. had 15 points and eight assists for the Bluejays (7-0).

Foster had nine points during the decisive 13-0 run that made it 67-51 after the Bulls had cut Creighton's lead to 54-51. The Bulls got no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Blake Hamilton and Willie Conner scored 21 points apiece to lead the Bulls (4-3), and Raheem Johnson added 14.

No. 17 WISCONSIN 77, No. 22 SYRACUSE 60

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Ethan Happ had 24 points and 13 rebounds, zone-busting guard Bronson Koenig scored 20 points and Wisconsin beat Syracuse.

Koenig, the seasoned senior guard, was 6 of 9 from 3-point range, and the Badgers (6-2) shot 48 percent overall (11 of 23) from behind the arc against the Orange's 2-3 zone.

Wisconsin led by as much as 17 in the second half before Syracuse (4-2) went on a 6-0 run capped by John Gillon's layup with 11:25 left. Two Wisconsin turnovers in that span with Koenig on the bench gave Syracuse the opening.

Coach Greg Gard inserted Koenig back in the game and the Badgers went on a 7-2 run to retake a 16-point lead with 9:24 left.

Andrew White III led Syracuse with 14 points, but went scoreless in the second half. DaJuan Coleman added 12 points

VALPARAISO 65, No. 21 RHODE ISLAND 62

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - Alec Peters scored 27 points to help Valparaiso knock off Rhode Island.

Fourth in the nation in scoring at just over 25 points per game, Peters scored six points down the stretch and got a piece of Jarvis Garrett's potential game-tying 3-pointer as time expired.

Jubril Adekoya chipped in 13 points and Tevonn Walker had 10 for the Crusaders (7-1), who will take more than a week off before a trip to face No. 1 Kentucky in Lexington.

Jared Terrell scored 21 points for Rhode Island (5-2) in the Rams first true road game of the season. Hassan Martin added 16 points and six rebounds.

Valpo overcame 17 turnovers by out-rebounding Rhode Island, 35-28. Peters grabbed nine boards.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s six-pack
— Duke 78, Michigan State 69– At some point in league play, we’ll probably hitch ourselves to the Spartans’ wagon. Not yet though.

— Tex-Arlington 72, Texas 61— Mavericks should be heard from in March.

— Oregon fired football coach Mark Helfrich; chances are they replace him with a big name.

— Grizzlies’ PG Mike Conley is out for six weeks with broken vertebrae in his back.

— Delaware State 79, St John’s 72— Very bad night for Chris Mullin.

— Mets are giving Yoenis Cespedes $110M for four years; I’m not going to mention that the A’s gave him away to Boston in 2014, for Jonny Gomes and two months of Jon Lester. Oy.

Wednesday’s Den: No list, I just research/rant about the Rams

While you were asleep late Sunday night, I was sitting here, doing some research. December 1 is this week (Thursday) and another football season is flying by. As a Rams fan (since 1966, the year of the first Super Bowl), this has been another dismal season.

I like Jeff Fisher well enough as a coach, but he is finishing his 5th season with the Rams and has yet to have a .500 season. Was trying to think of anyone else in the NFL who lasted this long with one team without a winning season. So I decided to research the topic. Here is some of what I learned:

— Here is Fisher’s resume with the Rams: 7-8-1/7-9/6-10/7-9/4-7.

Fisher inherited a dumpster fire from his predecessor, Steve Spagnuolo (10-38 in three years) and he has made the Rams competitive again. He gets credit for that.

When Spags was coaching the Rams, I knew when I got out of bed on Sunday morning that we were getting whupped that day. Now I am pretty sure the Rams will have a chance to win, but because the offense sucks, they probably won’t.

— I limited my search to the Super Bowl era, starting in 1966. During that time, only five NFL head coaches started their tenure in a city with four consecutive losing seasons. The rest either all got fired before that or had at least one .500 season or at least one winning season. Here are the five coaches:

Dan Hennng (Falcons) 1983-86: 7-9/4-12/4-12/7-8-1.
Sam Wyche (Bucs) 1992-95: 5-11/5-11/6-10/7-9
Joe Bugel (Cardinals) 1990-93: 5-11/4-12/4-12/7-9
Lou Saban (Broncos) 1967-71: 3-11/5-9/5-8-1/5-8-1 (fired in ’71, during a 4-9-1 year)
Jeff Fisher (Rams) 2012-16: 7-8-1/7-9/6-10/7-9/4-7
— The thing is, Fisher may already have a contract extension with the Rams, no one knows. He would be the only NFL coach in the last 50 years to start off with five consecutive losing seasons with a team and be offered a sixth year with the same team.

Coach Fisher has been an NFL head coach for 22 years, has been in the playoffs exactly six times. The ultimate irony is that his best year with the Tennessee Titans ended with a Super Bowl loss……to the Rams.

— Then there is this: I go back a little further, to 1960 and do the search again. Look for a coach who started his tenure with five consecutive losing seasons, was retained and wound up doing really well. It actually has happened……once and yes, you’ve heard of the guy.

Ever hear of Tom Landry?

Here are the Cowboys’ records their first five years as an NFL team:
0-11-1/4-9-1/5-8-1/4-10/5-8-1.

Despite five straight losing years, Landry was not fired, he was retained; Dallas went 7-7 in 1965 and in the seven years after that, they went 83-27-2 and split two Super Bowl appearances.

I know what you’re thinking: Dallas was an expansion team, but in a lot of ways, it is easier to build from scratch than it is to clean up a mess and then build a winner.

— Am I comparing Landry and Jeff Fisher? Not really, but I am saying that the only time in modern NFL history this scenario has played out, it worked out very well for the team that didn’t fire the coach. Stability has its advantages.

Rams just moved to a new city; they have a young QB who they finally let on the field and the kid looks like he can play a little. They have a really good defense and decent special teams.

I’d check with Norv Turner to see if he was interested in being OC and helping Goff turn into a quality QB, the way he did with Troy Aikman.

— I think way too much about this and still I don’t have a concrete opinion on what owner Stan Kroenke should do, but I do firmly believe he should keep GM Les Snead, who drafted Goff, Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley the last three years. Do not fire Les Snead.

This is a billion dollar franchise with a beautiful new stadium being built for the 2019 season; lot of money hangs in the balance. I hope the hell they make the right decision, whatever it is.

No matter what, I’ll still sit there on Sundays and root like hell for the Rams; if that makes me a damn fool, then so be it.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s games

Virginia Tech is 5-1 with 68-65 loss to Texas A&M on neutral floor last week; Hokies beat New Mexico/Nebraska in that tourney, are 2-1 vs top 100 teams. Tech is making 40% of 3’s, is #14 in country at protecting ball- they don’t start a senior (two sophs, two juniors). Michigan is 5-1 with a 61-49 loss at South Carolina; Wolverines have good wins over Marquette, SMU on neutral floor- they’re playing one of 10 slowest tempos in US, start two sophs, two seniors.

Purdue is 5-1 with 79-76 home loss to Villanova; they don’t have any top 100 wins. Boilers are great inside for a college team but can their guards handle Louisville’s defense? Purdue has #7 eFG% despite turning ball over 21.2% (#257) of time- they do make 41.5% on arc. Louisville is 5-1 after losing finals of Atlantis tourney to Baylor; Cardinals blew a 32-10 lead in that game. Cardinals forces turnovers 22% of time, has #4 eFG% defense in country.

TCU sprinted out to 24-8 lead in first 10:00 beat Washington 93-80 in Las Vegas four nights ago; now teams play again at TCU. Horned Frogs were 27-33 on line; both teams shot 53%+ inside arc, but both teams turned ball over 18 times. TCU is 6-0 with two top 100 wins, (other was over Illinois St); they forcing turnovers 25.3% of time, making 40.4% on arc. Washington is playing first true road game- their best win was over #168 Long Beach State. Huskies are #340 experience team in country.

St Joe’s beat Temple last two years by total of 3 points; they needed OT to beat the Owls in LY’s game. Hawks haven’t played in nine days since losing 2 of 3 in Virgin Islands tourney; they’re #296 experience team. St Joe’s is forcing turnovers 22.4% of time but missed departed star Bombay, who left early for NBA. Temple beat Florida State/West Va over weekend in NYC, in pair of great upsets- Owls are missing two of their best guards this season. Temple scored 52-67 points in its losses, 81+ in all four wins.

Middle Tennessee State is 6-1, beating UNCW by 5 in its only top 100 game; they lost at home to #137 Tennessee State, best team in OVC. Blue Raiders are #40 in experience; they’re forcing turnovers 22.4% of time, are playing pace #288. MTSU upset Auburn of SEC LY.- this is their first true road game of season. Ole Miss are 5-1 with 86-77 loss to Creighton in Virgin Island semis; Rebels’ best win is over #133 UMass. Ole Miss is #55 experience playing #48 pace- they start 3 juniors, 2 seniors. Middle Tennessee starts two juniors, two seniors.

Nebraska played in southern California Thurs-Sun, going 1-2, losing to UCLA by 11, Va Tech by 13; now they’re 3,000 miles east, playing Clemson team that is 3-2 with losses to Oklahoma, Xavier on neutral floor 10 days ago in Florida. Tigers are #11 experience team whose bench has played 2nd-fewest minutes in country- they’re playing #248 pace as a result. First true road game for Cornhuskers, who start four sophs- they’re shooting only 31.1% on the arc.

BYU is playing #3 pace in country; they lost last two games, to #74 Valpo in Las Vegas and at home to #256 Utah Valley, while making only 32% on arc. Cougars beat Utah State last three years by 12-10-11 points- they start a freshman/two sops but remember because of missions, their guys are little older than other teams’ guys. Utah State lost to Purdue/Texas Tech by 21-24 on its Cancun trip; Aggies are #235 experience- they’ve slipped since coach Morrill walked away at end of 2015 season.

Colorado won four of last five games with Colorado State; I’ll never advocate to give Eustachy 15 points, though. Buffs are 5-1, losing to Notre Dame by 6 on neutral floor, beating by Texas by 14 night after that game. Colorado is #51 experience team that has #13 eFG% defense- they’re starting four seniors, one junior. State has played 9th-easiest schedule in country, losing by 7 at Stanford in only road game. Rams are 5-1, but are turning ball over 21.8% of time, making 27.4% on arc.

North Carolina is 7-0 with three top 80 wins (Chattanooga/Okla St/Wisconsin) and road win at Hawai’i; Tar Heels are rebounding 46.6% of their own misses (#2 in country)- they beat Indiana by 15 in NCAAs last spring, making 11-20 on arc (Indiana was 13-31 in 71-possession game). First game in a week for UNC, which starts two juniors, two seniors. Indiana beat Kansas in OT on neutral floor, then lost in OT at Ft Wayne last week. Hoosiers are turning ball over 23.4% of time.

Virginia is 6-0 with two top 80 wins, by 33-11 points over Iowa/Providence; Cavaliers have #1 eFG% defense in country- they’re also playing slowest tempo in nation- they start three juniors, one senior. Virginia made 8-16 on arc in 64-58 win at Ohio State LY. Buckeyes are 6-0 so far vs schedule #321; their best win is over #56 Providence by 5 at home. OSU has #20 eFG% defense but is shooting 59.5% on foul line; four of their six wins are against teams outside top 200.

St Marys has its whole team back from LY; game like this will be important for them when NCAA bids are handed out in March. Gaels are 5-0 with a 61-57 win at Dayton; they beat UAB by 13 in Vegas over weekend. St Mary’s is experienced team that plays slow tempo and does not sub much- they’re shooting 62.9% inside arc (#1 in US). Stanford’s coach was UAB’s coach LY, so he got good scouting report from them I’m sure; Cardinal won 2 of 3 in Orlando over weekend, with only loss to Miami by 14.

Fort Wayne lost its two road games, by 9 at Arkansas, by 18 at Illinois State but their OT win at home over Indiana will be remembered in their town for long time. Mastodons start couple of sophs, two seniors; they beat Austin Peay 85-68 at home LY, making 12-26 on arc in game they trailed 33-29 at halftime. Governors lost by 28 at Dayton in their only top 200 game; they’re 2-2 vs D-I teams, with two other wins over stiffs. Austin Peay starts three seniors but beat Delaware in game by 1 when they led by 15 with 9:29 left.

UNLV’s interim coach LY was Todd Simon, who did admirable job in getting patchwork group of Rebels thru to end of season; now he is head coach at Southern Utah, which is 0-4 vs D-I teams, with losses by 11-15-12-14 points (they beat two stiffs). He won’t recognize many UNLV kids; they only have 3 or 4 guys back from LY. First road game for inexperienced UNLV team that is 4-2, with no top 200 wins, but SUU is #338 so that doesn’t matter here. First road games are only dicey but Rebels have better players.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Boilermakers (5-1) at Cardinals (5-1)
Date: November 30, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

LOUISVILLE, Ken. -- It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for No. 14 Louisville.

Just days after taking on a challenging slate in one of the toughest in-season tournaments in the country at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, the Cardinals (5-1) return to the KFC Yum! Center Wednesday night for a showdown vs. No. 15 Purdue during the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino knows the Boilermakers (5-1) will be a tall test for his team.

"We are going to play two teams from the Big Ten and I think Purdue is one of the favorites to win it," Pitino said. "They have a veteran team and they have tremendous size. ... They also shoot it really well from the one, two and three spots. They have a good inside attack and a good outside attack, and they have always been a good man-to-man defensive team."

Purdue's front line includes 7-foot-2, 290-pound center Isaac Haas, 6-9 Caleb Swanigan and 6-8 Vincent Edwards. Pitino said Purdue's strength is more than just height.

"We have a couple of 7-footers as well, but Anas (Mahmoud) is 7-foot, 220. Haas is 7-foot-2, 290," Pitino explained. "That's a big difference. And Swanigan, he's 6-9 and 260 and uses his size well. We are likely going to have to play (7-1, 245-pound reserve) Matz (Stockman) more to counter their size."

Purdue started the season with a 109-65 win over McNeese State before taking on Top 5 Villanova in a 79-76 loss that went down to the final possession. The Boilermakers have rebounded with wins over Georgia State, Utah State, Auburn and NJIT.

Purdue coach Matt Painter said he's looking forward to the challenge at Louisville.

"Their overall length and athleticism is what stands out," Painter said. "There's times when you have to swallow your pride when they have two or three people on the basketball. I've been shocked ... at the times people keep trying to challenge them when they swarm the basketball, and been impressed with their ability to defend and their ability to use their length - not just at the rim, but contesting shots."

Louisville started the season with three straight blowout wins over Evansville, William & Mary and Long Beach State, before heading to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. After beating Old Dominion 68-62 in overtime to start the tournament, Louisville beat Wichita State 62-52 and had a 22-point lead on No. 9 Baylor before falling 66-63 in the title game.

"This is the first team I have had in a while where the players dislike losing as much as the coaches do," Pitino said. "They were very disappointed in losing to Baylor...but they got back to work this week."

Swarming defenses like Louisville's have been an issue for Purdue in the past. Villanova certainly used pressure defense to frustrate the Boilermakers, and Purdue fell victim to the University of Arkansas - Little Rock in the NCAA Tournament last season due, in large part, to not handling UALR's full-court pressure.

To combat that issue, Painter has been getting grad assistants involved wearing white shirts in practice. Those extra defenders are immune from fouls and are tasked with making life difficult for ball-handlers.

"We can't have the (turnover) numbers we have and expect to beat good people - we just can't," Painter said. "I like our matchup against anyone if we give ourselves a chance. If we're constantly in transition because we try to take on two or three guys and are turning it over, I don't like that matchup. I don't like our matchup against anybody in transition."

The Boilermakers are learning.

"If you show you're going to struggle with it and be careless with the ball, you're going to get pressed," point guard P.J. Thompson said. "But the first few times they press you, if you really show them you're good and it's not going to bother us and you get the ball in the frontcourt, it lays off a little bit."

Painter said scheduling games against teams like Louisville or Villanova isn't easy, but they will provide long-term benefits for his team.

"It's hard to schedule games of this nature," Painter said. "Everyone's going to play in the Big 10-ACC Challenge, the Crossroads Classic, things of that nature. Not everyone wants to play on the road, even if you do a home and home."

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Tigers (4-2) at Wildcats (5-1)
Date: November 30, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Arizona's loss to Butler on Friday night revealed some of the flaws hidden when playing against inferior opponents.

The Wildcats opened the season with a victory over short-handed and youthful Michigan State, but the Bulldogs are a bigger, deeper and more-veteran team. Butler beat Arizona 69-65 in a hard-fought game in the Las Vegas Invitational, which dropped the Wildcats (5-1) from eighth to 16th in the AP poll.

"We're a work in progress," Arizona coach Sean Miller said.

The Wildcats will try to make progress when they faces Texas Southern on Wednesday in Tucson, Ariz. (9 p.m. ET, Pac 12 Network). The Tigers (4-2) were predicted to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference in a preseason vote of league coaches and sports information directors.

This will be the seventh of 16 road games to start the season for the Tigers, who are coming off an 84-73 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday. They are coached by Mike Davis, the former head man at Indiana and UAB.

He directed Texas Southern into the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2015, the latter appearance resulting in a 93-72 opening-round loss to Arizona in Portland, Ore. That is the only previous matchup between the programs.

The Wildcats return only two players from that team -- point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright and center Dusan Ristic, both juniors. That helps tell the tale of a young team still finding its way this season.

Because of injuries and guard Allonzo Trier's unexplained absence, Miller is working with eight scholarship players. Three are freshman, another is a junior college transfer.

"We lost to a very good basketball team," Miller said Friday night. "Butler will be a team in the NCAA Tournament. They have a lot of experience. They are a little further along at this point than we are with that experience.

"We played through foul trouble. We had to play through some adversity. We didn't play well at times, but our effort was outstanding. That was the most important thing. When you do that, you learn from it."

Trier, who averaged 14.8 points per game as a freshman last season, has not played this season. The school has not commented amid rumors of eligibility issues.

Freshman 7-foot forward Lauri Markkanen has emerged as the team's leading scorer (18.2 points per game), but he was limited by foul trouble against Butler, scoring 15 points in 21 minutes before fouling out.

"He was not able to assert himself," Miller said. "A couple of fouls he probably could have controlled by being where he was supposed to be."

Freshman guard Kobi Simmons (12.7 ppg) and freshman wing Rawle Alkins (10.3 ppg) are the next two top scorers for the Wildcats.

Texas Southern is led in scoring by junior guard Zach Lofton, who has spent time at Illinois State and Minnesota. He is averaging 20.5 points per game. Another transfer guard, Dulani Robinson from Pacific, is averaging 14.5 points per game.

Derrick Griffin, a 6-7 power forward who won last season's SWAC Player of the Year award, is averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds. He has been selected All-SWAC in basketball and football (2015, as a receiver), though he was dismissed from the football team this September.

"They're a very good team that can shoot the basketball," Louisiana-Lafayette coach Bob Marlin said of Texas Southern. "They have great players in Lofton and Robinson, and Griffin is an outstanding athlete."

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Buckeyes (6-0) at Cavaliers (6-0)
Date: November 30, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Sixth-ranked Virginia has never missed an ACC-Big Ten Challenge. This week marks the 18th annual battle between teams from two of the top conferences in the country, as the Cavaliers enter their matchup Wednesday night with Ohio State in Charlottesville, Va. riding a two-game win streak in the competition.

On the flip side, the Buckeyes have dropped two straight in the challenge and take on Virginia for the second straight season.

Virginia knocked off Ohio State in Columbus 64-58 last year behind 22 points from Malcolm Brogdon, who now plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Point guard London Perrantes missed last season's game after an appendectomy but will be at full strength this season. Perrantes is coming off of a tournament MVP award at the Emerald Coast Classic last weekend that saw the Cavaliers take home the title with wins over Iowa and Providence.

Providence head coach Ed Cooley had high praise for the 6-foot-2 senior point guard.

"He might be one of the most poised basketball players I have ever seen play the game of basketball," Cooley said after the Friars' loss to the Cavaliers.

Perrantes put in 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists to help Virginia stay unbeaten at 6-0 this season.

Ohio State is coming off of a 41-point win over Marshall on Friday and also enters Wednesday night's game at 6-0. The Buckeyes have spread the wealth so far this season as they boast six players averaging at least 10 points per game. Thad Matta's squad is led by Jae'Sean Tate who is scoring at a 14 points per game clip and is pulling down seven rebounds per game. He will be a handful for Virginia's frontcourt.

The Buckeyes will likely not come close to their 111-point outing against Marshall as Virginia enters Wednesday with the nation's top scoring defense. Providence scored 52 points against the Cavaliers and became the highest-scoring Virginia opponent this season. Iowa managed just 41 points against the Cavaliers in Friday night's game after they came in averaging 94 points per game. The Hawkeyes followed up that performance by scoring 92 points against Memphis.

Bottom line is, Virginia's defense is already in mid-season form just six games into the season.

Ohio State ranks 33rd in the country in rebounding as they pull down and average of 41 per game but they might be tested by a Virginia team that is outrebounding its opponents by 13.

Bench scoring has been a key for the Cavaliers and it should continue to be as Perrantes and guard Darius Thompson became the first starters to lead the Cavaliers in scoring when they tallied 11 points apiece against Providence. Freshman Kyle Guy continues to shine for Virginia as he provides a spark off of the bench for Tony Bennett's team.

The Cavaliers look to improve on their 10-6 record in the challenge while Ohio State looks to even up its 7-8 record.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Tar Heels (7-0) at Hoosiers (4-1)
Date: November 30, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - No. 13 Indiana will try to summon karma from its banner-hoisting past when hosting No. 3 North Carolina Wednesday night in a nationally televised ACC/Big Ten Challenge clash.

The Hoosiers' 1981 National Championship team, which defeated the Tar Heels in the title game, will be honored in a halftime ceremony. That Bob Knight squad had Isiah Thomas, Randy Wittman, Ray Tolbert and Landon Turner, among others.

Problem is, those guys can't suit up against the latest Tar Heels (7-0), who are fresh off three wins by an average of 30.3 points at the Maui Invitational including a 71-56 finale over Wisconsin on Nov. 23. North Carolina's path to finishing last season as an NCAA Tournament runner-up included a 101-86 victory over Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen at Philadelphia.

"I'm not going to go out and make my reservations for the Final Four," Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams said after the Wisconsin win. "I've never seen a national championship won the day before Thanksgiving. It's usually won that first Monday night in April."

He would know. He celebrated national titles in 2005 and 2009.

Indiana (4-1), ranked third before losing in overtime at Fort Wayne and dropping 10 spots, could be without its leading scorer in junior guard James Blackmon Jr., who is questionable with a left knee injury. The 20.5-point scorer, who also leads the team in 3-pointers with 15 out of 32 attempted (.469), missed Sunday's 85-52 home rout of Mississippi Valley State.

Blackmon has a lengthy history of significant knee injuries. He tore his left ACL in high school, meniscus in the same knee early in his college career and last year the right ACL prior to the Big Ten opener and missed the rest of the season.

"This afternoon, I go run, and I come through the weight room at the end before I go home to change, and there he is in the weight room doing his leg exercises,' Indiana head coach Tom Crean said after Sunday's win. "He's very, very diligent on getting himself ready. He's been through a lot. Been through a lot before he even got here.

"So we've just got to make sure that we're patient with him and help him get through that part of it, and he'll know his body. He's certainly got great support here, and he'll get that. And we'll just see how the next few days go.'

While the Hoosiers average 88.6 points scored and have allowed 69.6 per game, the Tar Heels sport a 92.9-point average while allowing 65.6. Both teams shoot 3-pointers well - Indiana has made 51 of 128 (.398) while North Carolina has hit 47 of 120 (.392).

Five Tar Heels average in double digits, led by junior guard Joel Berry II at 17.1 points per game. Berry has a team-high 16 3-pointers and was just named ACC Player of the Week for a second time in this young season.

Tar Heels junior forward/guard Justin Jackson averages 15.4 points with 11 3-pointers. Senior forward Isaiah Hicks checks in at 14.6 points and senior forward Kennedy Meeks averages 13.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

"We're not perfect," Hicks said. "We have to polish some things, especially on the offensive side. We need to move more and get a little better spacing. Sometimes we get caught standing there. And we always have to keep up our defensive intensity and effort."

Indiana sophomore forward OG Anunoby bounced back from a flu-shortened scoreless game with a career-high 21 points Sunday to boost his scoring average to 11.8 points. The preseason All-American also grabs 6.2 rebounds per game.

Hoosiers junior guard Robert Johnson averages 13.8 points and sophomore center Thomas Bryant averages 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Crean, the 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year, is matching wits against one of the all-time greats in Williams, a 29th-year Hall of Famer whose 790-209 record ranks eighth on the career win list. Crean has spent half of his 18 seasons at Indiana and has a 342-216 overall record.

Indiana has an 8-6 series advantage including 2-1 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Since 2011-12, Indiana has five wins against top-three opponents, which ties for second behind Duke's six.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Highlanders (2-3) at Bruins (7-0)
Date: November 30, 2016 11:00 PM EDT

UC Riverside-UCLA preview

Two teams with promising young freshmen will meet Wednesday when 11th-ranked UCLA puts its perfect record on the line against UC Riverside at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

UCLA (7-0) won three games in four days last week to win the Wooden Legacy tournament. The Bruins beat Portland 99-77 in the opening round, defeated Nebraska 82-71 in the semifinals and topped Texas A&M 74-67 in the championship game.

UC Riverside (1-3) opened the season with double-digit losses to Portland and UNLV. The Highlanders beat Division II Fresno Pacific 96-50 before suffering an 85-67 loss to Utah.

Freshman guard Lonzo Ball was named MVP of the Wooden tournament after averaging 15.7 points, 9.3 assists and four rebounds for UCLA. He also picked up his first-ever Pac-12 Player of the Week award.

Ball had 18 points and 11 assists in the win over Portland, and he had 16 points, 10 assists and five rebounds against Texas A&M despite struggling at times in the first half.

"I think that's what great players do," UCLA coach Steve Alford said. "We call it 'etch-a-sketch.' You miss a couple shots (and) you have to forget about it. You make a couple bad plays, you have to forget about it. ... He made tremendous plays, and I thought he played way better second half."

UC Riverside coach Dennis Cutts is happy with what he has seen from freshman guard Dikymbe Martin. After scoring a total of nine points in 24 minutes in the first two games, Martin has emerged, posting 41 points, 10 assists and seven steals in the past two games.

Martin came off the bench to post 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting in a win over Fresno Pacific on Nov. 19. Martin made his first career start against Utah in place of Malik Thames, who was home in Sacramento due to an illness in his family. Martin didn't disappoint, finishing with 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

"He's a unique freshman in terms of constantly looking for how he can do things better," Cutts said. "He doesn't ever kind of give the sense that he's got it figured out."

The Highlanders will have to figure out how to defend UCLA, which scored 99 points or more in four of its first five games. The Bruins are leading the nation in field-goal percentage (54.7) and assists per game (24.1). They are third in scoring, averaging 96.9 points per game.

UCLA has six players scoring in double figures. T.J. Leaf, another promising freshman, averages 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest. Bryce Alford averages 17 points, Isaac Hamilton 16.7, Aaron Holiday 12.1 and Thomas Welsh 10.6.

Martin is leading UC Riverside in scoring at 12.5 points per game. Thames averages 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. Chance Murray is averaging 12 points.

UCLA is 4-0 all-time against UC Riverside. The Bruins beat the Highlanders 77-66 in their last meeting in December 2014. This will be UCLA's final tune-up before the team visits top-ranked Kentucky on Saturday.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Gaels (5-0) at Cardinal (6-1)
Date: November 30, 2016 11:00 PM EDT

Twelfth-ranked Saint Mary's owns the highest ranking in school history this week, and the Gaels (5-0) might even climb into the top 10 next week if they win their game at Stanford on Wednesday (11 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network).

This might be the Gaels' toughest game so far, partly because it will be on their opponent's home court and partly because the Cardinal (6-1) played well in a recent tournament in Orlando, Fla.

Although Stanford lost to Miami (Fla.) in its first game of the AdvoCare Invitational, it rebounded to beat Indiana State 65-62 and Seton Hall 66-52 in its next two games.

First-year Stanford coach Jerod Haase was particularly pleased with the way his team responded after Seton Hall shot out to a 20-10 lead Sunday.

"They punched us in the mouth the first 10 minutes and we kind of stumbled back," Haase said, according to the Bay Area News Group. "I challenged them. I'm so proud of how they bounced back and contained it for the last 30 minutes."

Guard Dorian Pickens was the Stanford star of the two tournament victories, hitting the game-winning 3-pointer against Indiana State and scoring 21 points in the win over Seton Hall.

"Dorian is so smooth, so confident, so fluid," Haase said.

Pickens shoots 50.7 percent overall, 45.2 percent on 3-pointers and 84.6 percent from the foul line. He provides a challenge for Saint Mary's backcourt of Joe Rahon and Emmett Naar, both of whom were all-West Coast Conference selections last season and played a solid game in the Gaels' 76-63 victory over UAB in Las Vegas on Sunday.

"Our guards really did a good job of controlling the game," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said.

Rahon and Naar had seven assists apiece in that game, and both played all 40 minutes.

Naar also made 2 of 3 3-pointers and has hit 54.5 percent of his long-range shots this season. Stefan Gonzalez came off the bench to hit 4 of 6 3-point shots against UAB, improving his season success rate from beyond the arc to 55.6 percent.

"Got some big minutes out of Stef," Bennett said. "He hit some big shots for us."

The Gaels are outstanding shooters, making 39.8 percent of their 3-point shots and 82.7 percent of their free throws, which ranks third in the country.

Despite the strong play of Pickens, Naar and Rahon, the biggest scoring threats of both teams reside in the paint.

Stanford's 6-foot-8 Reid Travis scored in double figures in all seven games and is averaging 17.4 points on 55.4 percent shooting while collecting 10.1 rebounds a game. The Gaels' 6-11 Jock Landale averages 21.0 points (on 76.3 percent shooting) and 9.2 rebounds.

The Cardinal have a second inside presence in Michael Humphrey, an athletic 6-9 post player who has not been as productive as expected. He averages just 7.9 points per game after scoring 10.3 points per game last season.

Stanford's biggest improvement from last season may be at the defensive end. The Cardinal allowed their first seven opponents to shoot just 37 percent from the field after yielding 46 percent shooting during last season's 15-15 campaign, which led to the firing of coach Johnny Dawkins.

Bennett has a reputation for getting the most out of his team defensively, but he is not satisfied by what he is seeing so far. Saint Mary's is allowing opponents to shoot 43.5 percent from the field.

"We had some good stretches tonight (defensively)," Bennett said after the UAB game. "We need more of them. We probably had 25 minutes of good defense; that's got to get closer to 37, 38 minutes, and I think that's where we were last year."

Bennett hopes a healthy Dane Pineau will help. Pineau, a forward and a preseason all-conference selection, missed last week's San Jose State game with back spasms and played only limited minutes in the other four games because of the back issue. He is expected to see more playing time against the Cardinal.

[StarDust Bum]

BASKETBALL BETTING TRENDS
ATS

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--------------------------------------

BASKETBALL BETTING TRENDS

Money Line


10:30 pm 11/30/2016
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